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New Jack City

Play trailer Poster for New Jack City R Released Mar 8, 1991 1h 41m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Drug tycoon Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his minions, known collectively as the Cash Money Brothers, have rapidly risen to the top of the New York City narcotics trade. Under Nino's heartless leadership, the drug operation has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire. Scotty (Ice-T) and Nick (Judd Nelson), two police officers who know their way around the streets of Harlem, aim to bring Nino and his cohorts down. To do so, though, they'll have to play by Nino's rules and go undercover.
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New Jack City

New Jack City

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Critics Consensus

Stylishly directed by Mario Van Peebles, New Jack City offsets its melodramatic streak with electrifying action and a cavalcade of effective performances.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Though this often plays like a 70s cop show, it became a prototype for the bling-heavy gangsta melodramas of the 90s. Oct 30, 2007 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Filmmakers pull off a provocative, pulsating update on gangster pics with this action-laden epic about the rise and fall of an inner city crack dealer. Oct 30, 2007 Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out It's a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation, with Van Peebles piling on corruption and carnage for all he's worth. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Chance Solem-Pfeifer Willamette Week Cooper’s script detests the city-conquering gangster Nino Brown (Snipes), but Mario Van Peebles’ camera is in love with him. The result is an indelible villain, memorialized by wild Dutch angles and prodigious overhead cinematography. Feb 5, 2025 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 'New Jack City' is steeped in Blaxploitation filmmaking, and is a good deal more stylish and more fun than, say, 'Boyz N the Hood,' released the same year. Rated: 3/4 Jul 20, 2024 Full Review Sean Burns WBUR’s Arts & Culture I mean, what else can one say about a film in which even Judd Nelson is an enjoyable presence? Aug 20, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff T Good acting. Fictional story but pretty intense movie. Snipes was great. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review danny s This was my gateway drug to Goodfellas godfather casino The Departed etc Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Christian K A genre melodrama that has some good spurts of filmmaking and performances with a well foreshadowed shock ending. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/25 Full Review thiago s Filme legalzinho, o roteiro é bacana, o filme tem algumas cenas boas, o que melhora o filme são as cenas de tiros de gangue vs gangue, Wesley snipes é um bom protagonista, e o elenco ajuda o suficiente para o filme ser bom, com tudo isso eu recomendo esse filme. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/18/25 Full Review Shawn R Wesley Snipes at his finest Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/03/24 Full Review Bahad j I am very happy that the movie shows us the steps and choices that are necessary in the life of a great person. I like the movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
New Jack City

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Movie Info

Synopsis Drug tycoon Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his minions, known collectively as the Cash Money Brothers, have rapidly risen to the top of the New York City narcotics trade. Under Nino's heartless leadership, the drug operation has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire. Scotty (Ice-T) and Nick (Judd Nelson), two police officers who know their way around the streets of Harlem, aim to bring Nino and his cohorts down. To do so, though, they'll have to play by Nino's rules and go undercover.
Director
Mario Van Peebles
Producer
George Jackson, David McHenry
Screenwriter
Thomas Lee Wright, Barry Michael Cooper
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Jacmac Films, Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 8, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 31, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.1M
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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